Improvement in bell-pianos



G.'BLVVYKEHEITg improvement in BeHPanos. @4353, Patented Oct. 31, 18H.

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PATENT GEEIGEo cAnL eUsTAv EUTTKEEEIT, or ToLEDo, iowA.

IMPROVEMENT IN BELL-PEANOS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,415, dated October 31, 1871.

To all whom t 'may concern:

Beit known that I, CARL GUsTAV BUTTKEE- EIT, of Toledo, in the county of Tama and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Action for Bell-Pianos; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being` had to the accompanying' drawing toi-ming part of this speciiication.

Figure l represents a sectional side view ot' my improved bell-piano action. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, showingl only the. vertical oscillating post and its arm. Fig. 3 is a top View of the action. Figs. 4 and 5 are side views ot' an action of moditied construction.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate correspolnling parts.

My invention consists in actuating bell-hammers for musical instruments, as h ereii latter full y described and subsequently pointed out 'in the claims.

A in the drawing represents one ci' the keys of the instrument, there beingl a row of keys on a key-board similarly as on an ordinary piano-torte. Every key A is, by means ot" an arm, a, connected with a pair ot toggle-levers, B, pivoted at l; to the frame C ot' the instrument, and connected at the other end with a slidingpzm'l, l). A spring, d, draws the arms ot the toggles together so that their elbow rests on a pad, c, of the key A. E is au upright post, held in the Jframe (l so as to rotate freely on its ends. It carries on a projecting arm, j', the hammer g, and is connected with a spring, h, which turns it so as to keep the hammer away from thc belt F, that is ri gully secured to the frame C. if is a projectinglug on the post E for the pawl D to act against. When the key A is depressed the toggles are so acted upon as to move the pawl against the lug '11, thereby causingthe post to be turned so that the hammer will strike the bell quickly and sharply. linmedia-tely after the hammer has struck it is rapidly withdrawn from the bell by the spring h, its aetion upon the bell beingl almost instantaneous. The pawl is hook-shaped and catches over the lug t' immediately after striking the same, so that the lug will only be struck by the end of the pawl and then enter the concave part ot' the same, wherein it can turn to permit the aforesaid action of the spring /1y upon the hammer. In being withdrawn i'rom the lug the pawl receives slight lateral motion for the purpose of clearing the lug, and is on this account made with a V- shaped reccssj, on its face, which permits it to swing' toward a lined guide-pin, I, and thus pass over the lug in the desired manner. The hammer in swinging' back trom the bell strikes a cushion or band, 1n, which causes the soundless arrest ot backward motion. rEhe strikin of the toggle-elbow on the pad c defines the action of the spring d in a noiseless manner. G is adamper, connected by a red, p, with the key A, and drawn by the power ot' the spring d upon the bell. lihen the key is tout-hed this damper is litt-ed olii the bell, but imnualiately upon the release ci" the key it is drawn upon the bell and arrests turther vibration et' its component parts.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrat l a inoditication ot' the action which propose to use ior playing bells of higher notes, while the action already described is to be more particularly applied to bass bells. In the latter case the key A2 is by an arm, a2, connected with toggle-levers B2, which are at b2 pivoted to the trame C, while their other end is connected with. au upright slide H. To the upper cud ot' the slide is pivoted a levcrL/"2, carrying the hammer y2 tor striking' the bell F2. When the slide ll is raised bythe depressingl of the key A2 the short arm n et the lever/2 catches against a hook or nose, o, on a swing-plate, I and is thereby quickly swung so as to carry the hammer against the lell. Directly upon touching;y the bell the lever is released trom the hook o and drops back, letting the slide by its own weight carry itself, the toggles, and the key to the position et' rest. A cushion, m2, arrests the tall ot' the hammer g(/2. This last-described action is still. more rapid than the lirst, and theretore preferable .tor the higher notes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The sliding' pawl D, hook-shaped, and having the recess 7' to operate and move over the lug i, substantially as herein shown and described.

with the springp1ate I having the nose o, all arand slide l) with the oscillating post E, ham- Ianged as described for transmitting motion from mers g, and spring h, substantially as and for the key A, rapidly to the hammer g2 on the lever the purpose herein shown and described. f2, as set forth.

3. The damper G and the rod p combined CARL GUSTAV BUTTKEREIT.

2. The combination of thc key A, toggles B,

with the bell F and key A, substantially as and Witnesses: for the purpose herein shown and described.

4. The slide H carrying the lever f2, connected JOHN CoNNELL, C. P. M. BAKKER. (112) 

